Dave Cropper, owner of Cinnamon Rainbows at 931 Ocean Blvd., said Tomson will promote the movie "Bustin' Down the Door" at 5 p.m. The award-winning documentary also plays at 9 p.m. Friday at the Ioka Theatre in Exeter. The action-packed story looks at a dramatic moment in history when a group of young South African and Australian surfers put their lives on the line for a dream and changed their sport forever.

Narrated by Edward Norton, the documentary presents a pivotal time in surfing in the winter of 1975. A group of young surfers from Australia and South Africa sacrificed everything to create a professional sport, a culture and a billion-dollar industry that captured the world's imagination. With a radical approach and a brash colonial attitude, these surfers crashed headlong into a culture not ready for revolution.

The movie chronicles a tumultuous two-year period of competitive and cultural clashes in the mid-70s in surfing's Mecca, Hawaii's North Shore of Oahu, as the band of surfers sets out to change the world of surfing. Framed around the emerging careers of world champions-to-be Shaun Tomson, Wayne "Rabbit" Bartholomew and Mark Richards, "Bustin'" documents how they risked everything to become the world's best and how their vision led to the birth of pro surfing.

Tomson's consistency and longevity marked one of the most prolific careers in pro surfing. He became South Africa's most successful surfer, winning the world title in 1977. His popularity garnered him top honors at the 1978 Surfer Poll and successful business ventures with Instinct Apparel and Solitude Clothing. He has been called the greatest tube rider ever and was listed as one of the 16 greatest surfers of all time (Surfing, 2004). Tomson is chairman of the Surfrider Foundation's Advisory Board and received the Environmentalist of the Year Award (SIMA 2003). He is the recent author of the bestselling surfing and inspirational book "Surfer's Code-12, Simple Lessons for Riding through Life."

Bartholomew, an Australian, burst onto the international scene in 1975. Pro surfing was still a dream, but he had the vision and attitude to make it a reality. His tactics and flair made him a top-rated competitor for professionalism's first decade and his article, "Bustin' Down the Door," published in Surfer Magazine in 1976, is the inspiration for the film. He was world champion in 1978 and remained in the top five for seven consecutive years. In 1999, Bartholomew took over the Association of Surfing Professionals, surfing's governing body and moved the corporate offices to the Australian beach where he first dreamed of becoming a pro. He still surfs with a youthful enthusiasm and travels the world ensuring his dream of pro surfing remains alive and well for the next generation.

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